Smithereens Harry Potter
by liznon
Summary: Adeline Golden’s life had been incredibly dull—until she discovered that she was a witch. At the age of eleven, Adeline's dull life turns 180 degrees as she begins to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Throughout her years there, she must continuously join forces with Harry Potter to defeat Lord Voldemort—the dark wizard who gave her the scar to match Harry's.


DISCLAIMER(s):

• I am very American and writing for an English character so bare with me

• I am seventeen and just started reading HP on Nov. 11 and finished around Dec. 15 so I really kinda thrust myself into this so if I get any info drastically wrong or if it's stupid and makes no sense that is why and please let me know

• and also as you're all i aware i don't own harry potter surprise surprise all rights go to j.k. rowling i'd assume

The Girl Who Lived

Adeline Golden had been fully convinced at a very young age that her life was and would forever be unequivocally, miserably, and incredibly dull. The only exciting aspect of her entire life was the odd scar that resembled the shape of a lightning bolt on her forehead. Upon asking her mother how she received such a scar, Adeline was answered vaguely with the story of how she and her father had gotten into a fatal car crash. The car crash resulted in Adeline's father's untimely death and Adeline's lucky lightning scar. As Adeline got older, the story became increasingly unbelievable. Adeline's mother, Beatrice Golden, was a very caring woman. Oftentimes, however, Beatrice became too caring. Adeline's mother was nothing short of a helicopter parent—Adeline rarely left the house; in fact, she was homeschooled and forbidden to play outdoors. Adeline's mother was a fearful lady. Adeline hadn't a clue why her mother had to be so wary at all times, but she did as her mother said. She herself feared what Beatrice may have been capable of had she not followed the rules.

Beatrice was not necessarily unstable; however she did not want what happened to young Adeline's father to happen to Adeline. Exactly what had happened to Adeline's father was a complete mystery to Adeline. Every time she questioned the idea any further, Beatrice would change the subject as quickly as possible, as if the subject had never come up in the first place. But as much as Beatrice tried to protect her, Adeline was prone to making unexplainable things happen. Adeline never meant for such things to occur, but they did nonetheless—such as the time the kitchen table's overhead light burst into shards, which occurred shortly after her mother's friend, Petunia, insulted her scar. (The crude woman had said that she, at the time seven years old, could never be beautiful because the scar was so 'unbecoming of her.') There were other occurrences—blowing out the electricity, breaking dishes and glasses, and more—that stemmed oftentimes from insults coming from her mother's rude friends. Aside from her scar and the very occasional odd occurrences, however, life was extremely dull for Adeline Golden.

Her mother's friends are an entirely different subject. The Dursleys were possibly the most obnoxious family ever the grace the earth. The family was made up of Vernon, Petunia, and their terror of a son, Dudley. As protective of Adeline as she was, Beatrice did nothing to defend her daughter from the wrath of the Dursleys—especially Dudley. Adeline never understood her mother's friendship with the family. Her mother was a seemingly pleasant woman, and the Dursleys were just downright nasty. Luckily, the Dursleys only came for a visit once a month to have dinner. Adeline would spend as much of the evening as she could hidden in her bedroom, but it was difficult to perform such an avoidance without seeming impolite, and it was highly unlike Adeline to be impolite, as nasty as the Dursleys may have been. Another thing Adeline noticed as she grew older was the Dursley family's secret fourth member. On occasion, they would complain about the person in a very quiet manner, as if Adeline wasn't meant to know of his existence. Every time the secret Dursley was brought up in conversation, Beatrice would eye Adeline wearily, so Adeline never dared to question it. She would tell herself her mother's expression simply meant the matter was none of her business, but Adeline couldn't help but think she had something to do with it. Why else would her mother stare at her in such a way?

It was around her eleventh birthday that Adeline discovered the answers to all of her lifelong questions. The discoveries began with a simple, singular letter that was slipped through the mail slot days before. Adeline grabbed it curiously, intrigued by the unique wax seal and H on the envelope and the neatly written green words:

Miss A. Golden

The Highest Bedroom

15 Magnolia Road

Little Whinging

Surrey 

The address itself was rather alarming—how had the sender known which bedroom was Adeline's?—but no less alarming was the fact that it had been addressed to Adeline. She'd never had any reason to receive any mail, she never even left the house! She began to break the envelope's seal just as her mother spotted her from the stairs.

"What've you got there, Gumdrop?" Beatrice asked, and despite her term of endearment, she sounded terribly nervous.

"It's a letter for me. Can you believe it?" Adeline replied excitedly, nearly finished tearing it open. Before she could see the contents of the envelope; however, her mother had anxiously snatched it from her fingers, eyes wild and breath uneven.

Before Adeline could ask even the slightest question, Beatrice exclaimed, "Nothing for you to see here, dear. Just one of those scams." And Adeline might have believed her, had the woman actually freaked out over the idea of scammers knowing her daughter's name.

"Well, can't I at least read it? It was addressed to me, scam or not."

Beatrice noticeably began to sweat, looking frantic. "No, no, I'm not sure that'd be very safe, darling. I'm going to shred it right away. Can't have anyone thinking they've gotten away with their scam, now can we?" Adeline's mother hurried out of the entryway and into the kitchen where she could be heard ripping up the envelope quickly.

Adeline's excitement had turned worse than boredom. Nothing could be more disappointing than thinking something exciting is going to happen, only for the chance to be totally crushed.

The next day, there were more of the same letter slipped through the mail slot, but Beatrice had grabbed them quickly, irritated at the 'audacity of such scamming lunatics.' The day after, a large pile of the letters sat on the floor, and Adeline was able to grab one without her mother's knowledge. She quickly hid it in her bedroom and waited for her mother to notice the pile and throw them away before opening her stolen copy. The top of the page was labeled HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY— Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) Under the heading was:

Dear Miss Golden,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Adeline sighed. So it was all a scam. There was no such thing as witchcraft and wizardry.

But if it was a scam, then why would there be so many letters? And come to think of it—it was Sunday. There wasn't supposed to be any post on Sunday. And if this school was real, and witches and wizards were real, then the letters would definitely be sent on a Sunday. There wasn't any stamp on the envelope either, which could only mean...

Adeline ran down the stairs, heart pounding. This was it. This was the excitement she had always been yearning for. Surely her mother couldn't deprive her of this opportunity as well? Not now, not after she'd read the letter! Adeline stepped into the kitchen reluctantly as her mother ripped up the last of today's letters. Holding her letter behind her back, Adeline addressed her mother.

"Yes, Addy?" She replied. Anyone would have noticed that the letters had been stressing her out big time. Her eyes were sunken in, her hair was disheveled, and she looked about ready to burst. Well, Adeline thought, at least she was putting an end to her suffering.

"What's, um," Adeline cleared her throat, "What's Hog... Hogwarts?" She asked quickly, cursing herself for not coming up with a better way to bring up the subject. Her mother leapt from her seat, stalking towards her with a fury in her eyes Adeline had never before seen.

"Hand me the letter." She commanded, and Adeline obeyed, hands shaking. "I can't believe you. It's so unlike you to be this naughty! To disobey your own mother! I could cry!" She was already crying, though, ripping up the letter as if it had just informed her that she was set to be executed tomorrow.

"Mum," Adeline began slowly, "it's not a scam... is it?" Her question only sparked her mother to wail even louder. She hiccuped and wept, muttering over and over again something about 'those nasty wizards' and her 'dead husband' and 'she'll be sorry.' The frail woman finally calmed down and looked at her daughter grimly.

"Never question me about the school again." She ordered. Adeline nodded in obedience, despite wanting so badly to ask her mother why she was not to ask about the school.

"So..." Adeline said, hesitant. Her next question was technically unrelated to the school (but also very related, so she regretted even bothering to ask.) "Am I... a... a witch?" Adeline would have added 'or wizard, whichever is which' to her question, but her mother officially lost her temper. She'd never seen her mother so crazed in all her life. For the first time ever, Adeline felt truly scared of her mother. This reaction was what she had feared all along. She was breaking her mother's rules.

Beatrice sent her daughter up to her bedroom and demanded that she stay there until she's forgotten all about the nonsense mentioned in the letters. Adeline would have felt as if she deserved the punishment, had the situation been any less confusing. Adeline couldn't understand why her mother was so angry about it and why she was so adamant that her daughter know nothing about Hogwarts or witchcraft or wizardry. Adeline also would've felt as if she deserved her punishment, had it not been her eleventh birthday.

Whoever was behind those letters had to have been something serious, for Adeline's mother would never be so cruel to her daughter—at least she thought. Adeline was stuck in her bedroom the entire day, and it was deeply upsetting. She loved to spend her birthdays with her mother, relaxing and baking a cake. But this year she was locked up in the highest bedroom of the house, locked away from and supposedly safe from those evil, nasty wizards.

Days past and Adeline still wasn't allowed out of her room. She could tell more letters came, because her mother was going frantic downstairs, but soon it would be too late. She only had until July 31st to notify the school that she'd be attending, and as far as she knew, it was probably bad news anyway. Why else would her mother react in such a way?

But the idea of having magical powers... It all made sense to Adeline. As impossible as it seemed, it also explained much of the odd girl's childhood. She began to wonder if the scar she had gotten at the time of her father's death was truly just the mark of a wizard. No matter what it was or how she got it, she knew it wasn't just from a car crash. Adeline was a very smart girl—often too smart. She understood certain ideas far too quickly, perhaps because of all the time she'd spent with herself over the years. There were negatives to understanding things too quickly, but Adeline had never noticed. Life had been passing her by, anyway, so taking the time to learn something around the company of others wasn't something she knew she longed for. Going to a school—a boarding school at that—suddenly sounded heavenly, especially after being locked up in her tower of a bedroom for multiple days.

July 31st came with a bit of a shock. In the early morning, there was a heavy, terrifying knocking sounding from the front door. Adeline could hear her mother scurrying down the stairs, but she didn't dare leave her room. Her mother shrieked with horror once she'd reached the bottom of the steps, though, and Adeline figured she had to forgive her daughter this time. She could be dying!

Adeline sprinted out of her room, nearly tripping and tumbling down the stairs at the sight of the man standing in the entryway of the house. He was huge. He was the biggest man Adeline had ever seen—bigger than Mr. Dursley. He was enormously tall, with scraggly hair and a beard that reminded Adeline of steel wool. He had on an equally enormous coat and held, juxtaposing the rest of his appearance, a small, pink and flowery umbrella. Next to him, coming up to maybe the man's knee, was a boy that looked somewhere around Adeline's age. He had on small, round glasses and baggy clothing. His hair stuck in every direction, but Adeline didn't miss the scar on the boy's forehead. It was the same as hers. Perhaps her theory had been correct.

"Ah! Adeline, there yeh are, little lady! I suspected it'd be difficul' teh hear back from yeh." The man bellowed, walking towards the girl, who stood three steps from the bottom. Even standing there, she wasn't eye-level with him. "You've grown quite tall since I last saw yeh. Mind yeh, yeh were jus' a lil' baby." He comments, before looking down to her feet and grunting, probably having thought that she was actually as tall as she was on the stairs. She might have been tall for her age, though. She wouldn't have known.

"If you don't mind my asking, who are you?" Adeline asked the half-giant, as politely as possible. She could hear her mother whimpering in the corner. The half-giant gave an irritated glance at Beatrice before sighing and turning back to Adeline with a big smile.

"I'm Rubeus Hagrid! Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Usually jus' go by Hagrid. Pleased teh make yer acquaintance." 'Hagrid' held out his huge hand, and Adeline shook it hesitantly. All this time stuck in her house and she inevitably had a thing about germs.

"Is this about Hogwarts?" Adeline asked, eyes glittering with hope.

"You'd be correct. I suppose tha' means yeh read yer letter?" Hagrid asked, to which Adeline nodded enthusiastically. "Well that makes things a lo' easier than it was fer Harry over here."

Adeline beamed, looking at 'Harry' with excitement. Now was her chance. She needed all her questions answered. "So my father... It wasn't a car crash, was it?" Adeline suddenly asked without context, but Hagrid and Harry (and Beatrice, who began to wail) seemed to know immediately.

Hagrid's expression went soft, and he said, "No, I'm afraid not. Yer father had brought yeh with him teh visit the Potters when they were killed by a dark wizard... Said his name once already las' night and I'd ruther not say it again. Only you and Harry over here survived. That's where those matching scars came from." Darn, Adeline thought, she was nearly right about the scars. Adeline and Harry made eye contact for a moment. There was an immediate mutual understanding of one another, as if they'd known each other for years.

"Dark wizard... That's why I've been locked up in here all this time?" Adeline asked Hagrid, although it was more directed towards her mother.

"You nasty heathens are the reason my husband is dead and my daughter has that disgusting scar!" Beatrice exclaimed, and it made Adeline's heart ache. She'd loved her mother for all this time, but Beatrice had lied to her. She had locked her up and locked her away from the world. Hagrid became very angry, about to defend the entirety of wizard-kind before Adeline quickly spoke first.

"Mum, I was born this way. I can't just ignore it." Adeline tried to reason, but Beatrice sobbed.

"Addy, dear, if you love me, you will not leave with this man and this- this- impure child!"

"It'll only be fer a day, Mrs. Golden. She'll be back before dinner. We jus' need teh get their school supplies." Hagrid explained in the nicest way possible, however his anger had yet to fully subside.

"Mum, if you love me, you'll let me do this." Adeline said, but it made her mother's face darken.

"I'm trying to protect you, Adeline."

"And if I go to this school, I can learn to protect you. Think of it as paying you back!" Before her mother could say anymore, Adeline said, "I'm going. And that's that." Then she ran upstairs to change out of her pajamas and left her house for the first time in ten years, following Rubeus Hagrid and Harry Potter.


End file.
